According to Reuters, the Iranian news agency, ISNA, is reporting that “a senior inspector from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will visit the Saghand uranium mine in central Iran and the Ardakan milling plant, where the ore is separated from other elements.” The inspections will take place at the same time the P5+1 (China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) and Iran technical talks are ongoing in New York. The next round of negotiations between P5+1/Iran political directors is set to take place in Vienna on May 13-14.

For an in-depth look at the current state of the P5+1 talks with Iran, see:

According to The Times of India, officials in India’s Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) will test another test of its missile interceptor system. India has conducted six interceptor tests, however, this is the first long-distance test (beyond 100km). The previous six tests were of a much shorter range, 20-30km. For more information about India’s nuclear and missile capabilities, checkout the following resources:

Representatives of the states parties to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty have been meeting at UN headquarters in New York for their final preparatory meeting before the 2015 Review Conference. The PrepCom, which began on April 28, will come to a close on May 9.

See the Reaching Critical Will Web site for a full listing of statements and documents. For further analysis on the debate about implementation of the NPT, see:

The House Armed Services Committee is expected to markup the defense authorization bill, H.R. 4435, which includes nuclear weapons and nonproliferation programs, including the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). The House may begin debate and hold votes on the bill the week of May 19.

The bill deals with a number of key programs, including NNSA warhead life-extension programs, missile defense programs, nuclear delivery system modernization projects. and implementation of the New START Treaty. For more information, see: